"A history of Eagle County," written by local school children in 1940 (the only copy of the book is on the reference shelf at the Eagle Library), reports that the first real funeral in Red Cliff was conducted in 1880. The deceased was a man named John McCANN, who was crushed by a falling tree while cutting timber near the town.

According to the book, McCANN was a young man of "excellent reputation." The townspeople met and agreed to provide him the best funeral a mining camp could stage. Very little lumber was available in the camp, but the townspeople were able to produce a few boxes. A local carpenter pieced together a respectable coffin.

A local lawyer was persuaded to prepare a funeral oration, and a former Confederate soldier, a man not known for his piety but who did have the status of having fought at Gettysburg, was tapped to say a prayer. The men lived up to their tasks, and reportedly the town produced a funeral that would have been considered a quality production even in a big city. McCANN was interred in the Red Cliff cemetery.